Support for buckets



1967 G. A. SYLVAIN ETAL 3,353,778

SUPPORT FOR BUGKETS v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 30, 1965 Nov. 21, 1967 G. A. SYLVAIN ETAL 3,7

SUPPORT FOR BUCKETS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 30, 1965 United States Patent Ofiice 3,353,778 Patented Nov. 21, 1967 3,353,778 SUPPQRT FOR BUCKETS Gerard A. Sylvain, 12 Gakwood Drive, and George W. Kean, Woodland Drive, both of Granby, Conn. 06035 Filed Aug. 30, 1965, Ser. No. 483,618 10 Claims. (Cl. 248211) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLGSURE This invention comprises a support for buckets having a supporting arm secured to a bracket for rotative movement into and out of bucket supporting position about the axis of the bolt means which extends between and secures a pair of opposed bracket side members in spaced apart relation on opposite sides of the rail of a ladder. Ladder engaging means associated with one end of the supporting arm functions to engage the ladder rail when the arm extends substantially normal to the longitudinal axis of the rail. Hook means is provided on the extending end of the supporting arm and is adapted to receive the bail of a bucket to be supported therefrom.

This invention relates to supports for buckets or the like and more particularly to an adjustable support therefor which is removably attachable to a ladder.

The general object of the invention is to provide an eflicient, inexpensive support for suspending paint buckets or the like which is adjustably and removably attachable to a ladder; which utilizes the weight of the suspended bucket to secure the support and bucket in adjusted position; which is readily and conveniently suited for use by professional and nonprofessional users alike; and which is of simple construction, of light weight, and is durable and dependable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent from the following description and drawings which show a preferred embodiment of the invention, and such embodiment will be described; but it will be understood that various changes and modifications may be made from the construction disclosed and that the drawing and description are not to be construed as defining or limiting the scope of the invention, the claims forming a part of the specification being relied upon for that purpose.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a section of a ladder, showing the bucket support of our invention mounted upon a side member or rail thereof and supporting a bucket by its handle or bail.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view drawn to a larger scale of the support shown in FIG. 1 with the supporting arm extending outward in normal, bucket-supporting position.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 4 is an elevational side view thereof taken on line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary plan view showing a portion of the supporting arm with a paint brush secured thereon.

FIG. 6 is an elevational side view of the supporting arm of my invention illustrating a preferred means for adapting the support of the present invention for use with metal ladders having rails of channel, I-beam, or similar cross-sectional configurations.

Referring to the drawings, my improved bucket support, generally indicated by the numeral 10, includes a bracket 12 comprising a pair of opposed side members 14, 14 held in spaced relation by a threaded bolt 16 which carries an elongated arm 18 normally extending laterally outward therefrom, adapted for rotative movement about the axis of the bolt. As can be best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, each of the side members 14, 14 has a generally L-shaped cross section and comprises a substantially rectangular portion 20 having an inwardly directed, integral flange 22 formed on its inner longitudinal edge, and normal thereto. The bolt 16 extends transversely between the sides 14, 14, perpendicular thereto, and is' preferably mounted to extend through aligned apertures 23, 23 intermediate the upper and lower edges of the bracket to space and adjustably secure the opposed side members for sliding adjustment on a rail 24 of a ladder 26. The sides 14, 14 are obviously spaced apart sufiiciently to receive the rail 24 therebetween, the said portions 20, 20 engaging opposite front and rear faces or surfaces 28 and 30 respectively of the rail 24 while the inwardly directed flanges 22, 22 thereof engage the inner side or surface 32 of the rail immediately adjacent to and joining the respective front and rear surfaces 28 and 30. While the side members 14, 14 are readily adjustable on the bolt 16 toward or away from one another to adjust the bracket 12 to receive ladder rails of varying dimensions, obviously the spacing between the side members is limited only by the length of the bolt 16. For all practical purposes one bolt will ordinarily accommodate all sizes of ladder rails most commonly used.

It is to be noted that once the side members 14, 14 have been spaced apart to receive the rail 24 of the ladder 26 for sliding movement thereon, they may be releasably secured in spaced relation by adjustment of lock nuts 34, 34 and wing nut 36, thus obviating the necessity for further adjustment of the members 14, 14 unless and until the support 10 is used with another ladder having rails of a different cross section.

The elongated supporting arm 18 is secured to the bracket 12 intermediate the spaced sides 14, 14 by the bolt 16 which extends through an aperture 38 in the arm. The aperture 38 is located adjacent to, but inwardly of, the inner edge of the arm 18 and is preferably in the upper left corner thereof above the longitudinal centerline of the arm, as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 of the drawing, permitting the arm to extend laterally outwardly from the bracket and to pivot about the bolt 16. The outer end portion 40 of the arm 18 is provided with a notch 42 formed by two substantially parallel, spaced slits extending downwardly from its upper edge whereby the portion of the arm therebetween may be bent outwardly and upwardly, as shown, to form a hook 44 integral with the arm.

The arm 18 is preferably provided with a second notch 46' having a substantially right-angular configuration, which extends downwardly from the upper edge of the arm and laterally inwardly to provide upper and lower abutment surfaces 48 and 49, respectively, against which a handle 50 of a paint brush 52 disposed within the notch may bear to be supported by the arm 18 as shown in FIG. 5.

The arm 18 may be releasably positioned at any point on the bolt 16 between the spaced members 14, 14 by conventional means, such as retaining nuts 54, 54 as shown, to suit the convenience of the user. The nuts 54, 54 are preferably of the type provided with fiber inserts or the like to resist rotation. It is readily apparent that the retaining nuts disposed on opposite sides of the arm 18 should preferably only snugly engage the arm whereby the arm will remain free for rotative movement about the axis of the bolt 16, the nuts 54, 54 offering only slight resistance to such movement of 'the arm.

In operation the bucket support of our invention may be positioned on the rail 24 of the ladder 26 by removing or loosening the wing nut 36 sufficiently to permit the rail to be slidably received within the brackets 12, 12, between the flanges 22, 22 and the inner edge 55 of the arm, as shown in FIG. 1. As an alternative method, it

in may be slid along the rail from a free end thereof, to the position desired, provided, however, that the arm 18 is rotated counterclockwise, as viewed in FIG. 1, to swing the arm upwardly to prevent engagement with the rail of the ladder engaging portion 56 thereof formed by the intersection of the inner and lower edge portions 55 and 58, respectively. Lowering the arm will rotate the ladder engaging portion 56 into abutting engagement with the outside surface 6%) of the rail 24; and when subjected to a load, as when supporting a bucket 62 of paint, will bear against the rail to prevent downward sliding movement of the support thereon. It should be noted that the inner edge 55 of the arm 18 is preferably inclined downwardly and to the left (see FIG. 4), the included angle formed by the said inner edge 55 and the upper edge 45 of the arm being greater than 90, whereby the ladder engaging portion 56 will, as shown, be disposed below and to the left of the axis of the bolt 16 (see FIG. 4) to concentrate the force of the supported load against the ladder rail, utilizing the mechanical advantage of the moment of the arm 18 to prevent downward movement of the bucket support on the ladder.

The ladder engaging portion 56 may take many forms of which we have shown only one, that formed by the in tersection of the inner and lower edges of the supporting arm. The ladder engaging portion 56 may very well take the form of a cam surface with equally satisfactory results to prevent downward movement of the support relative to the rail by a camming action of the portion 56 of the arm i=6 against the ladder rail.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that when a bucket of paint or the like is supported from the hook 44, as in FIG. 1, or within the notch 42, the foot pounds of force applied against the rail of the ladder is considerable greater than the weight of the bucket by virtue of the moment provided by the support arm and the concentration of such force against a small area of the rail.

It can be seen that a bucket may be supported by its bail by either the hook 44, as in FIG. 1, or by the notch 42, depending upon the users choice for convenience of access to the bucket.

It should also be noted that a paint brush 52, when not in use, may be supported above the open bucket within the notch 46, as in FIG. 5, and any paint which may drip therefrom will fall into the bucket. It is important to note that the upper and lower abutment surfaces 48 and 49, respectively, are sufiiciently spaced apart whereby when the brush 52 is disposed within the notch, as shown in FIG. 5, the greater weight of the bristle portion will cause the brush to inclined downwardly, wedging the handle between the upper and lower surfaces 4-8 and 49.

In the event that the bucket support of the present invention should be used with metal ladders having rails with either I-beam or channel cross sections, an extension 64 is provided which is normally bolted to the arm 18, as shown in FIG. 4, and formed with a plurality of longitudinally spaced apertures 6d permitting adjustment of the extension along the lower edge of the arm to extend the ladder engaging portion, as in FIG. 6, toward the web of the rail for engagement therewith when the arm 18 is disposed substantially horizontally. The plurality of apertures 66 in the extension and associated apertures 68 in the arm permit a number of small adjustments, thereby greatly increasing the versatility of the support of the present invention.

The invention claimed is:

1. A support for buckets of the type provided with a bail and comprising a bracket and a supporting arm pivotally secured to the bracket and normally extending laterally outwardly therefrom in bucket supporting position, the said bracket including opposed side members arranged to receive a rail of a ladder therebetween for slidable adjustment thereon and securing means extending between the said side members adapted to secure and support the arm on the bracket for pivotal movement into and out of bucket supporting position and permitting adjustment of said side members toward and away from each ct er, hook means on said arm for receiving a bucket by its bail, ladder engaging means associated with said arm and engageable with the rail of the ladder and arranged to cooperate with the bracket to secure the support in adjusted position on the ladder when the arm is extending outwardly from the bracket in its normal position supporting a bucket, the weight of which serves to urge the ladder engaging means into abutting engagement with the rail of the ladder.

Z. A support for buckets of the type provided with a bail and comprising a bracket and an elongated supporting arm normally extending laterally outwardly from the bracket, the said bracket including a pair of spaced side members arranged to receive the rail of a ladder therebetween, each of said side members having substantially right angularly disposed surfaces arranged to engage adjacent surfaces of said rail, securing means extending between and adjustably spacing the side members for sliding adjustment of the bracket on the rail, the said securing means pivotally securing the elongated arm to the bracket for pivotal movement into and out of bucket-supporting position about an axis perpendicular to the side members, means on said arm for receiving and supporting a bucket by its bail, and means associated with said supporting arm engageable with the said rail for securing the support in adjusted position on the ladder when the supporting arm is in its normal position extending outwardly from the bracket.

3. A support for buckets of the type provided with a bail and comprising a bracket and a supporting arm pivotally secured to the bracket and normally extending laterally outwardly therefrom in bucket supporting position, the said bracket including spaced side members arranged to receive the rail of a ladder therebetween for slidable adjustment thereon and securing means adjustably spacing the side members relative to the rail and adapted to support the said arm on the bracket for pivotal movement into and out of bucket supporting position, hook means on said arm for receiving and supporting a bucket by its bail, ladder engaging means on said arm spaced from said hook means pivotable into engagement with the rail of a ladder to secure the support in adjusted position on the ladder when the supporting arm is extending outwardly from the bracket in its normal position supporting a bucket, the weight of the bucket serving to urge the ladder engaging means against the ladder rail.

4. A support for buckets of the type provided with a bail and comprising a bracket and an elongated supporting arm normally extending laterally outwardly from the bracket, the said bracket including spaced side members arranged to receive the rail of a ladder therebetween for sliding movement thereon and securing means extending between and adjustably spacing said side members relative to the rail, said supporting arm being formed with aperture means therein arranged to cooperate with said securing means whereby the arm is operatively associated with the bracket for pivotal movement into and out of bucket supporting position, hook means on said arm spaced longitudinally from the said aperture means for receiving and supporting a bucket by its bail, ladder engaging means on said arm arranged to cooperate with the bracket to secure the support in adjusted position on the ladder when the said arm is extending outwardly from the bracket in its normal position supporting a bucket, the weight of the bucket serving to urge the ladder engaging means into abutting engagement with the rail of the ladder.

5. A support for buckets as defined in claim 4 wherein the said aperture means is formed in the arm intermediate the said hook means and the said ladder engaging means.

6. A support for buckets as defined in claim 5 wherein the securing means extending between and spacing the side members of the bracket includes an elongated memher disposed normal to the side members and arranged to extend through the aperture means in the supporting arm, the said supporting arm being carried by the elongated member to pivot about an axis normal to the side members and intermediate thereof.

7. A support for buckets as defined in claim 5 wherein the said ladder engaging portion is disposed on said arm below said aperture means when the arm is in its normal position extending outwardly from the bracket.

8. A support for buckets as defined in claim 4 wherein the ladder engaging means is adjustably extendable longitudinally on said arm relative to said aperture means.

9. A support for buckets as defined in claim 3 including means defining a longitudinal slot in said arm adjacent References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 148,875 3 1874 Crockett 248246 1,256,909 2/1918 Kroshang 248-210 1,394,301 10/1921 Hayes 248211 1,808,647 6/1931 Tazekas 248-211 to the hook means and provided with upper and lower 15 ROY D. FRAZIER, Primary Examiner.

abutment surfaces adapted to receive a handle of a paint brush therebetween to support the brush on said arm.

10. A support for buckets as defined in claim 4 wherein CHANCELLOR E. HARRIS, Examiner.

J. F. FOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A SUPPORT FOR BUCKETS OF THE TYPE PROVIDED WITH A BAIL AND COMPRISING A BRACKET AND A SUPPORTING ARM PIVOTALLY SECURED TO THE BRACKET AND NORMALLY EXTENDING LATERALLY OUTWARDLY THEREFROM IN BUCKET SUPPORTING POSITION, THE SAID BRACKET INCLUDING OPPOSED SIDE MEMBERS ARRANGED TO RECEIVE A RAIL OF A LADDER THEREBETWEEN FOR SLIDABLE ADJUSTMENT THEREON AND SECURING MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SAID SIDE MEMBERS ADAPTED TO SECURE AND SUPPORT THE ARM ON THE BRACKET FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF BUCKET SUPPORTING POSITION AND PERMITTING ADJUSTMENT OF SAID SIDE MEMBERS TOWARD AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER, HOOK MEANS ON SAID ARM FOR RECEIVING A BUCKET BY ITS BAIL, LADER ENGAGING MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID ARM AND ENGAGEABLE WITH THE RAIL OF THE LADDER AND ARRANGED TO COOPERATE WITH THE BRACKET TO SECURE THE SUPPORT IN ADJUSTED POSITION ON THE LADDER WHEN THE ARM IS 